We are excited to announce the judges and finalists for this year's CSR National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge. Families and friends of finalists and judges, as well as members of all represented educational institutions and youth organizations are invited to join by Google Meet and watch this virtual competition on the afternoon of Monday, May 29, 2023 (1:30pm - 3:45pm Eastern Standard Time). All those that join us for the virtual challenge will have a chance to vote for their favourite pitch of 2023. This popular pitch will be awarded the Community Choice Vote (email for the meet link if you are eligible to watch and vote) .
On Monday, students from JK - Gr 10 will also be competing for the prestigious Judges' Choice Awards for their grade category (one awarded per grade category). The virtual presentations and Judge questions/feedback will be recorded, and winning presenters will have their presentations featured in the Winner Magazine: Brilliant Youth Series.
This year's list of esteemed judges include:
Raj D. of Farang Martial Arts (Toronto, ON)
Raj has seen international success in a number of industries, spanning automotive, to hospitality, music events, real estate, mentorship, athletics, and more. As a high ranking martial arts official, Raj D. has proven to be a champion in not just entrepreneurial and. mental strength, but physical strength, as well. As the founder and lead instructor at Farang Martial Arts, his most coveted endeavour, Raj has received the 2023 award for Best Martial Arts School in Brampton by the CBRB Canadian Business Review Board. We are thrilled to have Raj's versatile business acumen at the service of our promising young presenters for the upcoming challenge!
More about GTA based Farang Martal Arts: click here.
Jennifer Donovan of J. Donovan Law Group (Miramichi, NB)
With a mindset primed for social justice and growth, Jennifer Donovan has shown she can lead with a cause while winning at every step. Proving to the world what women can accomplish with an all-female team, Jennifer has built the success of her New Brunswick law firm, J Donovan Law Group, on a culture of benevolence. Some examples to serve as testimony to Jennifer's methods include being voted "Best Lawyers (and Divorce Lawyers) in Fredericton for 2021," winning the Canadian Bar Association's Pro Bono Award, being nominated multiple times for a National Women of Influence Award, and having her law firm named as one of the Best Businesses in Canada by the CBRB for 2022 and 2023.
More about Jennifer:
"I’m almost 2 decades at the bar. J. Donovan Law Group will turn 5 in Jan 2024. We are quickly taking over New Brunswick. I’m a rising mediator, business coach ,and mentor. I’m launching my JDLG Kids Club, a non profit organization, to help my clients’ children in need. "
In the media: Read Jennifer's interview for Winner Magazine, here.
We are fortunate to have Jennifer's balanced brilliance in entrepreneurial and socially benevolent growth as a guide for our talented young contenders in this year's challenge.
Bradley Jacobson of Ultra Vac - Voted Most Influential Leader of 2023 (Winnipeg, MB)
A master of the mind and thermodynamics, Bradley Jacobson has crafted UltraVac into a nationally-recognized duct cleaning enterprise that - much like himself - is not easy to forget. Be it his fun and one-of-a-kind take on brand image, his unique combination of psychological and engineering expertise, or his impeccable leadership instincts, this multi-talented entrepreneur has left a favourable impression on TV audiences and the CBRB Canadian Business Review Board, alike.
In the media: Read Bradley's interview for Winner Magazine, here.
With the top-voted popularity of his mentorship tips shared with Winner Magazine's readers last year, we are honoured to have Bradley share more of his wisdom with this year's youth entrepreneurship challenge candidates!
Having announced our incredible judges for this year, let's now take a look at our impressive youth that have made the list of finalists.
This year's youth finalists include:
JK - SK Finalists
(Group 1)
Anabelle from SLI (Sidney Ledson Institute) ( Magic Shampoo)
(Group 2)
Everett from SLI ( Breakfast Treat )
Gr 1 - 2 Finalists
(Group 3)
Daniyal , Ranbir, Harrison from SLI (Friendship Bracelets)
(Group 4)
Lucas from Mensa's Gifted Youth Group (Build n' Learn)
Gr 3 Finalists
*We would like to acknowledge the original Gr 3 finalist from SLI, who, unfortunately, due to travel, is unable to participate in this year's finals round: Jacob Abdulhussein (Mobile Massage Services)
(Group 5)
Anna and Sebastian from SLI (Cleaning Slime)
(Group 6)
Kenji and Ethan from SLI (VocabMark)
Gr 4 Finalists
(Group 7)
Sonya from SLI (Poochpack)
(Group 8)
Khayal from SLI (New Era Mouse)
Gr 5-6 Finalists
(Group 9)
Jonathan and Khaleel from SLI (Pet app)
(Group 10)
Brendan from Mensa's Gifted Youth Group (Math website)
Highschool Finalists
(Group 11)
Avi and William from University of Toronto Schools (Students4Students)
(Group 12)
Philip from York Mills Collegiate (Bullet Train)
We look forward to your participation in Monday's challenge and congratulate our finalists on making it to the finals round! For those of you that won't be attending, we're all set to share our winning youth presentations with you later next week. Stay tuned for updates on the top youth pitches on 2023 !